Remembrance Day
by Willowstar157
Summary: Mattie calls Alfred over to help him get ready for his Capital's Remembrance Day ceremony after the tragedy the previous year, but what happens when the other nations show up unannounced? The only thing Matthew wanted to do was get home on time for hockey, too... One-shot. (Hinted UsCan, Rated T for England's leaky mouth)


"Pull, Kumajugo!" I grunted, slamming my body against the large stone slab. I heard the polar bear in his enlarged form grunt as he yanked on the rope that was taught between his powerful jaws and the statue. The statue jerked once, and I let my body go limp against it.  
Heaving a sigh, I collapsed onto the pavement in the street. Downtown Ottawa. This year was going to be different from our past Remembrance Day parades; in honour of the soldiers who had been shot the past year a mere few weeks before the national parade. And, of course, they wanted me to set it up. Alone.  
Though, I had Kumakubi, so I guess I wasn't really alone. I heard his rough, large paws coming around and felt his warm fur beside me as he laid down, his legs completely still. He was that tired, eh?  
I heard my cellphone start vibrating in my pocket. Wearily, I checked it with my elbow and clicked on my Bluetooth earpiece.  
"Yes..?" I grumbled unhappily. Whoever was calling was interrupting my break. And it was Hockey Night, so I wanted to get home as soon as possible.  
"Yo Mattie! What are you doin'?"  
"Maple, Alfred. You know exactly what I'm doing." I turned around and glared at the American, who also happened to be my incredibly annoying twin brother. He had a huge grin on his face, trying to suppress a laugh attack I knew was there.  
I reached up and clicked off the earpiece  
"C'mon dude, let's just break for today. That statue isn't going anywhere anytime soon," He walked over and slid his back down the stone so he was sitting next to me, "You know you want to." I sighed at the American's annoying persistence.

"You don't get it, do you? That shooting rippled through the entire country. I can still feel it," I looked at his cornflower blue eyes directly as I said this, "Not only was it directly downtown in my Capital city, it was a mere few weeks before Remembrance Day. You know what that means." He sighed, running his hand through his short blonde hair, that stubborn cowlick once again springing back up as he passed it over.  
"I get it, Mattie. I really do. We both got trouble with terrorists, what thanks to the war." His southern accent started to poke through into his speech, as it always did when he got lost in thought. "And we ain't the only personifications with that problem either."

We were silent for a moment, then voices came up from behind us and we both spun around.  
"What are you two doing..?" England asked. The former powers of the Allies and Axis stood behind him.  
"Um, laying down in the middle of the road against a giant marble statue having a cheeseburger. What does it look like?" America answered sarcastically, "Actually we're setting up for Ottawa's Veteran Day parade, and Mattie asked me to help him out with this."  
"It's called Remembrance Day here, Al..." I muttered, though it didn't look like any of the others heard me except for my brother and France. As always. England's gaze momentarily flicked at the sound of my voice, though his eyes passed me over after resting on me for a moment. Probably not thinking it was me who had spoken, somehow. As always.

"Anyways, what're you dudes doing here?" America asked. I shot him a glare, a vein bulging in my forehead. It wasn't his place to ask that, not when we were in my country. He should know that. "You do realize that it's not exactly summer here, right..?"

He looked back at me, an unasked question in his eyes. 'Is it alright I'm talking for you?'

I'll admit, I was a little taken aback. Normally he wouldn't even think twice about talking in my place. _Maybe because it's almost Remembrance Day... Eh, that's probably it._ I nodded slowly. A look of relief washed over him, and his shoulders visibly relaxed. _Eh, did talking for me really make him that tense..?_

"Bloody wanker, of course we know that. There was a world meeting a few days ago and neither of you showed up. The last time that happened was in 1914, so we all got worried and decided to check up on you gits!" England scolded us both.

Of course, the meeting! I slapped my forehead. How could I forget? We were supposed to talk about enhancing our border's security. Al's head quickly snapped back to meet mine, his cornflower eyes begging for some help. I looked back at him, equally as panicked. England's gaze was going between both of us, demanding an explanation.

"Mon dieu Angleterre, give zhe two some space. You know 'ow we can become zhis time of year." France grumbled. England either ignored him or didn't hear him.

"Why are you doing the panicking, da?" Russia came out of nowhere from behind me. I jumped back with a "Maple!" and spun around.

"You really need to break this new habit of coming up behind us, eh!" I breathed out. Kuma padded over to me on his hind legs, now in his cub form, and stretching up his front paws. I leaned down, gently picking him up and squeezing his round stomach. It was a strong reassurance every year around this time, simply being able to run my fingers through his thick fur. Because every year, the same thing happened. The people started getting more and more depressed, and all that was silently thrown onto my shoulders to bare. The polar bear might not be able to fully understand what it put us Nations through, but he was always there for me. And that's all I could ask for from him.

Early November was a tough time for all the Nations who took part in World War One. And the only ones we could turn to were our animal companions -if we had one- and each other.

Germany had moved to examine the marble statue. He turned back to us, a look on his face I couldn't exactly pinpoint.

"Vell, vhy don't you just use a crane zo move it?" He asked. Al and I exchanged another glance, this one tired and frustrated.

"Don't you think we never thought of that, dude? We tried. His boss said he thought that we could handle it ourselves without having to 'donate machinery.'" Italy moved over so he was standing beside Germany.

"Ve~ You are Nations, after all~!" He chirped in his normal cheerful tone. We all looked at him. How could he not be feeling the effects of the 'holiday'? Maybe it was because he was Italian, because he was Italy. Carefree, cheerful, good old Italy. That was the only thing that came to mind as a possibility.

"Well, mon Maple Leaf shouldn't 'ave to do zhis without 'elp!" France protested. I jumped to defend myself instinctively.

"Non Papa, c'est correct," I exclaimed in our language, "That's why I called Al to help me out with it, eh!"

"Frog, you should know that they can do it without any help." England smirked.

"Oh shut you're mouth, Black Sheep of Yore!"

"Wine-loving bas-"

"Vill you zwo just SHUT UP!" Germany shouted angrily, effectively cutting them off before their argument could go any further, "You're alvays doing zhis! Can you not go zen minutes vithout arguing! Ve're here on official business!"

"Ve~..." Italy must've thought of something to say, but then decided against it and started slinking away from the angry German, who was glaring the angry French and Brit, who were glaring at each other. Al was now trying to break the two up by pushing himself between them.

"It is arways rike this whenever we come together..." Japan muttered.

"Ai-yah! You're telling me! Western nations can be so immature!" China said.

"Da. They really should not be doing the arguing anymore." Me, Japan, China, and Italy, who had come over to join us, looked at Russia.

"Russia, you do rearize you are one of the Western Nations..." Japan asked him softly. Russia looked at down at him.

"Da," He said with his creepy smile, "I do. I am not the one doing the arguing, though. Why do you ask?" Japan eyed him warily. I saw him move something under his long coat, and realized he had grabbed his pipe.

I waved my arm, catching Japan's eye and pointed to the Russian's back. My other hand came up to draw lines across my throat, praying he understood my meaning. _Maple, he has his pipe. Don't do anything stupid, Japan._ The introverted nation nodded slightly. He must've noticed, too.

"Dudes, dudes, dudes! Calm your hormones!" I heard America call out in exasperation, and turned my attention back to the four.

"Bloody hell America, one 'dude' is enough!"

"Angleterre-"

"Oh bloody hell, shut up, you asshat! Nobody asked for your opinion, anyways!" I felt a cold sweat on my back. Something told me I knew exactly where this was going, if they didn't stop even after both Germany and America tried and failed at breaking the two up, I just couldn't fish out what it was.

Eventually, I gave up trying and set Kumajiro down on the ground, grabbing my lucky hockey stick, which was sitting propped up against the statue. I carried it with me everywhere and somehow always managed to find a use for it.

I turned around once I had it in a secure grip, marching over to my brother and adoptive parents. I swung the masterfully crafted item skillfully, bringing it up, around, and down in a wide arc.

Right onto the heads of the two arguing European countries.

"In case you've forgotten," I turned to glare at my brother, who was currently doing his best not to laugh, "We have a timed job to do. And it involves a mass piece of marble."

"Bro, I said we could take a break..." Alfred started, though I had already turned away and was heading back over to the statue. I wanted to get home in time for Hockey. And these arguing, bumbling buffoons weren't going to stop me from doing so.

"Those terrorists never 'took a break,' did they?" I snapped, grabbing one of the extra ropes America had brought and proceeded to tie it in a figure eight around the base. Japan came over and silently helped me secure it in one of the many indents of the base. I smiled at him gratefully.

"We may not do this back home, but I can tell how important it is for you." He said quietly. I heard Al sigh and footsteps coming over.

"Helping after all? Maple, Al, you really are indecisive..."

"Well, I can't exactly let my little brother do all the heavy work alone. But still, over three hundred years with me and you're just now realizing that, dude?" He smirked, yanking on the rope to make sure it went taught.

"Oh no, I've realized it before. Like many other things," He gave me a 'what things?' look and I smiled at him innocently, "Though I'm just saying it now for the first time." I ignored the unasked question completely.

"You know, you really have a way of making me feel horrible, dude..."

"I know."

China laughed at our banter, and I realized the others had started listening in on us.

"Ve~ You two really are close, aren't you~?" England sputtered for a moment, glaring at us accusingly in a warning as to how we answered that. France eyed us with his famous matchmaker expression. We both glared at them.

"We're bros, Italy. You know what that's like. More so than any of the others here." Al accented the 'bros,' with an extra glare at our 'parents.'

"Ve~ Me and Romano are close too~!" He said cheerfully.

"Ja, you are.." Germany sighed, rubbing his temples. England relaxed, coming to the conclusion that the others hadn't caught onto exactly how close we were.

"Mon dieu, Angleterre..." Papa sighed.

"What? I'm just-"

"Being paranoid. They are not like that. And you know it zoo."

"Yeah yeah, I know, Frog." He mumbled.

"Bien. Even though it would be cute..." He trailed off, turning back toward the two of us. I looked around to make sure none of the others had overheard their exchange. Then I shot Papa yet another glare before turning away and yanked on the rope.

Russia came over, bluntly yanking the cord with a sole hand and the statue freely moved several feet. The rope groaned, the friction against the marble emitting a loud squeal in protest towards the massively built personification.

Russia repeated this process a few more times, until the statue sat squarely in the chalk-marked area Al and I had marked out on the pavement in front of the War Memorial, directly to the side of where the reefs would be placed.

"There. Now you can be doing the resting, da?" He asked. I looked at him, then over at Al, then back at Russia before slowly nodding.

"Eh. Um, ya... Thanks, Russia." _Maple, Al, Kuma and I had a hard time moving that statue ten inches over the course of three days, and he did it in a few seconds without breaking a sweat...! The Soviet Union breaking up hasn't weakened him at all over the years!_ Though, the question that came to mind immediately afterwards instantly vanquished my shock, and my instincts as a personification took over. _Is it the entirety of Russia, or just him..?_

I shook my head. If we didn't have trust, what did we have? I couldn't let myself start thinking like that... Not again.

You just could never tell with that guy. Occasionally he showed his softer side, however you were lucky if you got to see the gentle giant. Most of the time, even after the Soviet Union disbanded, he was a mystery that not even his best friend China could fully figure out, and could snap in a matter of seconds. Normal humans never lived to tell the tale of snapped Russia, and Nations who had had to go through that never brought it up, and no one wanted to resurface those memories on them. So the mystery of the Russian remained. And probably always would. _Though if I'm being honest with myself, I kind of prefer it that way, eh..._

"Ai-yah! No time for breaks! The others are still at the meeting hall, so if we are going I suggest we go!"

"That's right," England turned back towards us, "If we're going to make it there on time, we have to leave. Now." He accented the last word, before turning and walking away without giving anyone a chance to argue. Both me and my brother looked toward Japan, who was one of a select few who could talk some sense into the other Nations. However, this time he sent us a look of sympathy.

"Hai. We must be going. The others are waiting for us to return, so that we may finish the meeting."

"Wait, what? You put it on hold for us?" America blurted, "Dudes, that's totally awesome! Thanks a bunch!"

"Don't ret Prussia hear you say that, America-san..."

"What? Even he's there?! Sweet!"

"Of course he is there! Honestly, he is so disrespectful! I do not know why we brought him."

"Well, he was one of us... It's only been about fifty years since he's been dissolved, China..." I said, returning to my normal quiet voice. China was silent, before he let out a frustrated "Ai-yah!" and turned to go after England.

"Bro, did you actually just..."

"... I think so." I blinked after the Chinese.

"Holy crap! Did you guys all see that? Please tell me you dudes all saw that!" Al bursted as soon as he was out of sight.

"Hai."

"Da."

"Si."

"Oui."

"Ja."

All of the Nations who remained next to us sounded just as shocked as we felt. Nobody, and maple I mean **nobody** , ever outwitted the old Nation.

Germany blinked a few times, before he looked at us.

"Vell, zhey vere right zhough. Ve need zo be going."

I looked over to the other Nations. They all nodded in agreement, Italy with a small "Ve~!" Al and I nodded.

"Alright. Thanks Russia," He looked at me confusedly, "For the statue. I really appreciate it." I added, clarifying exactly what I had meant. He smiled slightly.

"Not a problem, Canada. Now you don't need to be doing the working, da?" I nodded, returning his smile.

I forced myself to not wince as another small jolt shuddered down my spine; something was happening, somewhere. It was nothing out of the ordinary at this time of year, it was probably a community grieving someone. But it still sent my mood down the drain, as it always did.

"So, let's get going, eh?" I asked the others, who nodded in agreement. They all began walking down the street. I started following them, but then paused midstride.

I looked over my shoulder, gazing at the war memorial. It made war look so heroic, but that wasn't the reality at all. We all knew that.

My gaze traveled over to the marble statue, and I silently ran over the date in my head, the memories of that day coming back to me as if it happened yesterday.

 _On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month... The Armistice... None of them will be forgotten. Not as long as I live._

I made that same vow every year, and made sure I kept it every single time. Every one of my soldiers weighed down on my shoulders, constantly. They were always there. Their blood was on my hands, after all.

"Yo, Mattie! You coming, dude?" Alfred, America, called from farther down the street. I turned back to look at the others, who had all stopped and were waiting for me.

I smiled to myself.

 _No, not as long as I live... As long as_ we _live. I'm not alone, and I never will be._ I corrected myself for the first time in almost one hundred years. _I feel like the world needs to be reminded of that; none of us are alone. We all share this pain. Together._

 _Everyone needs someone there for them. Everyone needs to be reminded of the past at some point, to be reminded of who they are._

 _Though, that's not my place. I'm there to help when people are reminded of who they are. Of what happened. Those that died, and those that will die. This world needs to be kept on the ground. The bloodshed that plagues us needs to be kept at bay._

 _That's what I'll always fight for._

"Maple, Alfred, I'm coming!" I shouted as I ran to catch up with my friends.

 _And I know that they'll always be there to back me up._

 **A/N: The government didn't actually payed for a statue tribute to those who were shot a year ago (because, yes, that really happened...). But I figured, 'Hey, fictional, personifications, tame transforming polar bear, -Hetalia,- so WHY THE HECK NOT?' And this eventually came into existence. And writing France's accent is HARD AS MAPLE, so this'll be the only time I'll be doing it. Or, just writing the accents in general. Why I put myself through that, I don't know...**

 **I feel like it lost the somber effect I wanted almost right away, but -Hetalia,- so I'm not really worried about it... n.n;**

 **So, hope you guys enjoyed this little tribute to the day the Armistice was signed and finally ended WW1.**


End file.
